Clothes-pin.



No. 870,703. PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907. W. D. WATKINS.

CLOTHES PIN.

APPLICATION FILED 00128 1906.

W 171v1551s155; [NVEN 70/0 warm; DAVID, WATKINS,

OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, Assrc oR OF KEY, or SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

ens-Harare JOHN P.

enema-Pm:

To'all whom it may concern:

- .Beit known that I, WILLLAM Davin WATKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Jose, in the arable clamping jaws 5 and suitable material and county of Santa. Clara and State of California, have invented a new and useful Clothes-Pin, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to clothes pins and has for its object to provide a comparatively simple and inexpensive device of this character having a pair of spring clamping jaws adapted to engage and clamp the clothes on the line and which may be conveniently supported on the line when not in use.

A further object of the invention is to generally improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and efllciency as well as to reduce the cost' of manufacture. With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement .of parts hereinafter fully described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being un derstood that various changes in form, proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

. In the accompanying drawings forming a. part of. this specification: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a clothes pin constructed in accordance with my invention showingin-iull lines the pin in operative position on the clothes line and in dotted lines the position assumed by the pin when the latter is not in use. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the pin detached. Fig. 3 is a front elevation partlyin section of the clothes pin. .Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the clam ing member or jaws with the hanger detached. 1 I

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The. improved device comprises a pair of freely sep- 6 formed of wood or other preferably rectangular in crosssection, asshown. "The inner. faces-of the clamping members are providedwlth intermediate lateral off-sets 7 which'bear against other and form the fulcrum or pivotal axis of the clamping jaws.

[One end of each clamping member is inclined or beveled, asindicated at 8 to form a terminal finger- .piece 9 while the opposite ends of said members are yieldably supported in contact with each other by a spring clamping member 10. v

The spring clamping member 10 is preferably formed of a single piece of wire an intermediate portion of which is bent to form a terminal loop or eye 11 adapted Specification of Letters Patent. Application and Ootober 8.1906. Serial No. 888,018. i

Patented Nov. 12, 19Q7.

to receive the clothes-line 12 while the opposite ends of the wire aredisposed in contact with each other'lnd curved laterally to form a handle, the terminals of the wirebeing off-set, as indicated at 13 and thence extended laterally to form loops or sockets 14 which engage suitable grooves or-seats 15 extended diagonally across the exposed faces of the clamping members. The endsof the loops 14 are seated incorrespondingly shaped grooves 16 formed in the adjacent ends of the clamping members thereby to present smooth unob structed end walls and other garments.

In operation the clothes-pin is positioned on the line with the latter extending through the loop or eye 11 and normally suspended therefrom, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

When it is desired to fasten the clothes on the line the clothes-pin is swung upwardly and positioned over prevent injury to the clothes or the garment to be supported after which the fiugerpieces 9 are. pressed inwardly and the jaws forced downwardly over the garment and clothes-line, as indicated in full lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

In order to remove the pin it ismerely necessary to exert an inward pressure on the finger-pieces 9 and at the same time pull upwardly on the clothes-pin when the garment may be detached, the pin being subse-' quently swung downwardly and supported from the line so as to be in position for use when necessary.

Attention is called to the fact that the clamping jaws are devoid of pivot pins and similar fastening devices,

being yieldably supported in contact with each other by means of the member 10 so that the jaws are readily separable and free to expand and contract thereby to permit the pin to be used on garments of different thicknesses without'danger of breaking the pin.

The pins may be made in difl'erent sizes and shapes and plated or otherwise coated to against the action of the elements. I

From the foregoingdescription it will be seen that there is provided an extremely simple, inexpensive and eflicient device admirably adapted for the attainment of the ends in view.-

Having thus described the invention what is claimed spring clamping member seated in said grooves and having one end thereof provided with an ofl.' -set portion bearing against the adjacent longitudinal edges of the clamping jaws and extended to form an eye for the reception or a clothes line, that portion of the handle between theeye and theclamplng jaws being curved laterally.

protect the same 1 A clothes pin comprising a pair-0t clamping jaws having grooves formed in their exterior-side faces, and a 2. A clothes-pin comprising a pair oi. freely separable spring clamping jaws having their adjacent faces pro-V vided with lateral ofi-sets and their opposite ends inclined to form terminal finger-pieces, there being grooves formed in the exposed faces of the jaws and across one end thereof, and a spring clamping member formed of a single piece of wire an intermediate portion of which is bent to form an eye for the reception of a clothes-line and its opposite ends extended laterally in parallel relation and bent to 10 form loops adapted to engage the grooves in the exposed faces of the clamping jaws, the terminals of the wire forming the clamping member being bent inwardly and seated in the grooves in the end walls of said jaws.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I

have hereto afllxed my signature in the presence of two 15 witnesses. 

